Five thousand officials in income tax, customs and other revenue offices defied threats of expulsion by the Histadrut last night and went on strike today. The Government called an emergency session for tomorrow to deal with the walkout.
After announcement of the decision by the Israel Labor Federation banning the strike, the officials held a midnight meeting which voted to go through with the strike plans. A second meeting of the strikers’ committee at noon today reaffirmed the strike decision.
The immediate result was that incoming and outgoing passengers at Lydda Airport passed border control without the usual customs check. Goods for entrance could not be cleared and began to pile up. Property tax offices were closed, making any land or property transactions impossible.
The strike was timed to coincide with a period when tax payments are high. The Israel Treasury issued special notices to the public on payments procedures for the duration of the walkout.
Among the demands of the revenue officials were special payments for what they called the “social boycott” to which they were subject in society because they were tax collectors, and for special duties in detecting efforts to smuggle in products without paying customs.
The Government, at the emergency meeting tomorrow, may consider enforcement of regulations which permit the Labor Minister to ban any absence of employes from work he considers essential.
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